Women In Shakespeare'S Plays

I have decided to write about three brave and tenacious women in William Shakespeare’s stories, that go up against the society in the Elizabethan times. At that time, women knew where they belonged, and were most likely to become mothers and homemakers. There was no possible equality between men and women at that time. Some were belittled and men looked down on them.

As mentioned by Patricia Crawford and Sara Mendelson said,“The difference between two sexes was a fundamental principle upon which society was constructed. Writers assumed that a woman was inferior to a man. ” They were considered to be weak and feeble, while Shakespeare depicted them as tough, brilliant, and ardent. William Shakespeare Before evaluating the characters, we have to know a few details about the author, to possibly have an idea why he made some of his female characters stand out. The well known playwright and poet; William Shakespeare, is one of the most distinguished and outstanding author during the Renaissance. Shakespeare is also reputable for his comedic and dramatic plays. From Shakespeare’s plays we can speculate that he preferred to characterize his female characters the way he did because. He seemingly wanted his characters to stand out of the ordinary.

Queen Elizabeth

The queen at that time was Queen Elizabeth I, and some people said that her reign might have affected Shakespeare’s work. Shakespeare depicted some of his female characters with very unfeminine manners. Although Queen Elizabeth ruled England, she did not even try to alter women’s image in the English society. Queen Elizabeth even said, “Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak you will nevertheless find me rock that bends to no wind. ” She said,“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the stomach and the heart of a king, and of a king of England too. ” She affirmed that that women were “ feeble”. Even though the queen Elizabeth I was remained repressed in the English society.

Women in Society

To understand why Shakespeare’s depiction of women are so different from actual women in Elizabethan times, we have to take a look at women’s role in society. Like Mendelson and Crawford said,“Contemporary proverbs, jokes, anecdotes, and tales give the impression that the axiom of female inferiority was common among the elite. ”As mentioned by Crawford and Mendelson, “I understand that women were probably constantly belittled because of the sexist society in which they lived in. They were even considered as property. ” Women could not watch some of William Shakespeare’s plays because it could influence the women watching it to become just like the female characters: powerful, intelligent, and independent. In addition to that, some women objected against the discrimination towards women. Women even given some manuals to teach them how they were supposed to reason and act. These manuals taught them to be devoted to their husbands, and to be quiet.

Religious Impact

Religion had an enormous impact in people’s lives. Just because religion would affect the way people thought and evaluated things, people would often twist passages and verses from the Bible to make people believe that some were inferior. Romans 2: 11 clearly states that, “For God does not not show favoritism. ” People also believe that because Eve was the second human to be created, she was weaker. “Eve was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not not made made out his head to rule over him, nor his feet to be trampled upon him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved. ” This what Matthew Henry said to contradict at Eve’s “inferiority”. Good education was not given to most women and they were not permitted to have any official jobs. (Does not this seem bit ironic? Women could not take part in the government, while the head of the English government was a woman. ) Women were at least authorized to become obstetricians or nurses. A lot of family could nor survive with just one person gaining money, so women also had to work to support their families; by could managing inns or trading.

Shakespeare’s Strong Female Characters

We probably have enough background information about women’s role in society and the attitude that they were supposed to adopt. With that information in mind, we will be able to understand how different Shakespeare’s characters were. Beatrice(Much Ado About nothing) Beatrice’s character is a very intriguing and original. She is lively, shrewd, and has unfeminine manners. She says what she thinks, when she wants, and without shame. Beactrice has vowed to never marry (to probably be the only one that has control of her life) but when Benedict (the man that she loves) asks her to marry him, she tells him that she wants them to equal. This is very surprising for a woman to ask that to man at that time.

According to Lilja D. S. Magnúsdóttir, “Shakespeare created Beatrice as a contrast to Hero, who fits very well into the image of of the ideal woman of the time. The difference between them is striking, and no one can deny that Beatrice is much more interesting and the star of the play along with her male companion Benedict. In fact the play came to be known as Beatrice and Benedict. Although, Hero would have been the more appropriate and conventional heroine. ” Rosalind(As you like It) Rosalind is a duke’s daughter that has been banished from her home, so she decides dresses up as a man and pretends to be “Ganymede”, for security reasons; she fear that men will harass her. She is loyal, brave, romantic, and emotionally strong. She feels comfortable in men’s clothing because it is easier for her to move, and she is not scared to go to the Forget of Arden, even though she is a woman.

According to Lilja D. S. Magnúsdóttir, “She is in control of everything in the play; she is the drive behind all the action and events that take place. ”Katherine(The taming of the shrew) Katherine is the “shrew” in this story and Petruicho, her husband is the one that tames her. Like every strong woman in Shakespeare’s stories, Katherine is very smart. Katherine does not seem ton be able to control her temper; she hits anyone that angers her because of her hot-temper. It is possibly because her father her sister and her differently: their father favors her sister. All this excessive anger could come from sadness. After Petruicho and Katherine get married, Petruicho (not out not love) uses harsh methods: such as forbidding her to eat so she obeys him. Conclusion Shakespeare was an original author that made people see a different view of what a woman could become in the sexist and misogynist society. Shakespeare showed in his stories that women could be intelligent and tough-just like men.